The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1887-05-07
STEVENS, LONG RIDE:


cisco, Thomas Stevens, the daring BIZ
cycle rider, gave graphic account of
his travels recently. He said that the
idea of making a tour of the world on
bicycle first took possession of him in
Denver in 1883. From there he went to
San Francisco, bought a bicycle, and
practiced riding in the Golden Gate
Park. After taking chances on break
ing his neck about hundred times he
became expert enough to begin his
journey. and then he started across the
continent. His first Encouragement
was received at Benicia, where a Gers
man offered to bet him five dollars that
he would never get beyond Boca. He
got beyond Boca, reached the sink of
the Humboldt river in Nevada, and fol-
lowed the old 40 trail. He then de-
scribed his journey across the plains
and Middle States until he reached
Boston. Here he made arrangements
with magazine company to make
tour of the world. He reached Boston
after trip of 10S days from San Fran
cisco. On the I'd of May, 1884, he was
iu Liverpool. He crossed England and
went to France. The longest run he
ever made in one day was from Paris to
Nancy. distance of one hundred miles.
He crossed the "blue Alsatian Mount.
ains'' and the Rhine, passing down the
valley of the latter. All along the Rhine
he found the shadow of military surveil-
lance.
why" said the speaker, in his dryest
way, seven the scarecrows are dressed
in uniform" He pursued his way
through the Black Forest, Bavaria,
Munich and into Hungary. He found
the Hungarians in an enthusiastic mood.
They were delighted with his bicycle.
They pride themselves upon their love
of sports. In Servia he found to his sur
prise that a bicycle club of twenty men,
bers existed. There each owner of a
bicycle is proud of the name which his
bicycle bears, such as "Joy of the Road
and Oriental Beauty" BY way Of
Bulgaria, he reached Constantinople on
the I'd of July. After leaving Con-
stantinople he found that while in Asia
Minor he would have to keep lookout
for brigands. Shortly after leaving
Angora two merry gentlemen of the
road met him They were armed with
huge swords and blunderbuss pistols.
However, when he displayed his small
pistol with its muzzle on level with
their eyes they suddenly bethought
themselves of an engagement elsewhere,
and left him in hurry. Through
Armenia he was called upon in various
villages to gain the good will of the
people by giving exhibitions of bicycle
riding. He was well received by the
Persians. All that he saw fit to COM
plain of them for was their inorlinate
curiosity. Among the wandering tribes
he was treated kindly, reposing at night
in the tents of chiefs He found that
some of them were treacherous, having
a peculiar habit of treating their guests
well and then, upon their leaving. sneak
ing ahead of them and robbing them
of all they possessed. At Teheran the
bicyclist was obliged to winter for five
months. This delay gave him an OPP
portunity of learning something about
the language. Heintended to cross At
ghanistan into India. but was forbidden
to do by the English and Russian Gov
ernments. He made several attempts
to cross in spite of orders to the contrary,
but was finally seized by the Afghans
and detained at Herat nine days, after
which he was placed over the Persian
border again. He was severely handled
by mob of Afghan fanatics who OBJ
jected to white men and strange things,
such as bicycles. He was at last obliged
to go back to the Caspian Sea, where he
took the Russian steamer for Batoum.
He reached the northern line of India
and found a splendid road from there to
Calcutta, 1000 miles distant. It was
the English military road, built of
cement. His bicycle causes consterna-
ton among numberless tribes of chatter
ing monkeys. From Calcutta it was
to get across Burmah into
China, SO he was obliged to go by steamer
to Canton. He, however. made a short
trip into China, but after being chased
by bowling mobs Of coolies, who in
that he was '.faukwia," and
who enforced their impressions with
stones and cobbles, he gave up any ex-
tended tour of the Flowery Kingdom,
and sought Nagasaki in Japan. He
eight hundred miles from there
to Yokohama, and found that the
Japanese had made great progress in
the matter Of building roads. There
was strong contrast between their ideas
Of progress and the Chinese principle of
living as did the contemporaries Of Con-
fucius and other heathens who existed
in some mythical age, either before or
shortly after the flood.
Mr.. Stevens also exhibited the bicycle